To think that having a comfortable life is not the same as having a luxurious one?

[Onlyrainbows]

I understand that it's all very subjective and that the "living comfortably" is a very wide spectrum. A simple example would be: living comfortably - to have a car that works and you don't have to worry about its maintenance as you can afford it. Living luxuriously - you own a bran new (or newish) Porsche and you can definitely afford it.

Surely it's reative? I feel I'm "comfortable" , but if you'd told me 20 years ago that I would no longer worry about paying bills, or what may happen when I went to an ATM, I'd look at me now and think I was living in the lap of luxury.

Now, I'm fine, I go abroad for eight weeks a year, I buy presents at Xmas and still have money in my account.

I actually have less money coming in (I'm now retired), by about 50% but I don't have a mortgage as I was able to pay it off with my lump sum when I retired. And no debts apart from monthly utilities.

So, my life feels just fine, I don't drive so have no idea what wanting/having a Porche might feel like.

As for "the finer things in life" , again, I think that's relative. We eat well
, Organic and locally sourced. But im basically a peasants at heart (three generations away from being in the Workhouse), so maybe my standards are low.

@TheOriginalEmu

Having a car might be a luxury to me as I don't drive. But I don't think someone is living the life of luxury because they can afford to drive. I've known plenty of really low income people who still drive, passed their test years ago and have low insurance and cheap car etc. It is quite normal in the west and for many jobs it can be a requirement. If we're comparing things on a global scale then aren't all of us in the UK living luxuriously? Even those in poverty here can at least have the safety net of benefits and food banks etc, compared to people who don't have access to clean drinking water somewhere else. It's like comparing a bad situation to a worse one, doesn't make the other luxury.

For me comfortable is, if the washing machine broke tomorrow morning I could go straight to Curry’s (or whatever) and buy a new one or if the DC needed a new jacket I could just go buy one right now. Maybe it’s relevant to my childhood.

Comfortable life = Having what you need.
Luxurious life = Having everything you need + anything you want.

I see there's a general consensus. On the Facebook group I asked, people mentioned living comfortably with £20k (I genuinely can't understand how if they still have housing costs. Many were shocked that 100k wouldn't give s love of luxury. I think two things happen here, they're not taking into.account any UC, tax credits, etc... For the 100k they don't take taxes into account.

I earn a little over minimum wage, DH works part time but brings in about the same each month. I would describe us as comfortable. Our Mortgage is paid off and no DC. We eat out when we want, holiday or two each year. Its all relative to outgoings.

Flying is a luxury to me. I love it. Not a frequent flyer even before Covid but I do think people take it for granted now and it annoys me when people moan about it.

Yes of course, many of us live comfortable lives but we still need to budget our finances. We can't afford sports cars and holiday homes but we live very comfortably with our second hand cars, townhouse and 2 holidays a year

We have an ok income 90k but I just consider we are comfortable not luxurious. I have 1or 2 luxurious items but that's it. I don't have to worry about affording housing or food or clothing and we manage a foreign holiday.
I'm quite glad I don't lead a luxurious life. I would feel fake and greedy. There are only so many resources in the world.

YANBU

I personally think luxury isn't competitive either

Some might be accustomed to a luxury lifestyle, but I don't get behind the whole 'if you eat beans on toast and have 10p on your heating meter you'd think a 3 bed house and a harvester meal is luxury'

Luxury is pretty established regardless of context.

And it's definitely different to being comfortable

When I was much younger I used to earn 6 figures, and whilst I never considered myself wealthy as such, I never worried about money, ever. Ate out all the time, thought nothing of going into London and dropping £500 on a new outfit or bag, did my supermarket shop without even looking at prices, gave no thought at all the things like shopping around for energy tariffs. Saved between £1,000 - £2,000 a month. If I'd wanted a Porsche I could have afforded to lease one no problem.

I'm now on a very average income, new clothes are a treat and always from the high Street or ebay, can't remember the last time I went out to eat. Whilst I still spend more than I should at the supermarket (working on that!) I do shop around and look for discounts, meal plan etc. My car is 9 years old, but it's paid for. Some months I manage to save £100-200ish. Someone up thread mentioned pay day not being notable - it is very much in our house because as we get close to it the bank account starts to look pretty empty and it's nice to have it topped up again!

Even in comparison to my 'old' life I would still describe myself as comfortable - I can afford to feed myself with more than the basics, whilst I'm careful about energy usage I can put the heating on without panicking. I have enough good quality warm clothes and shoes. Our house is nicely decorated, cosy and warm, although i have a million things I'd do to it/ buy for it if I had more money. If my car broke down I'd have to put any significant costs on a credit card, but I'd be able to pay it off over a few months.

Not being comfortable to me means not being able to afford more than the very basics, and not being able to comfortably fund in some way an emergency purchase such as car repairs or a new washing machine etc.

@Onlyrainbows

Exactly the "finer" things very well put. I think it also varies widely depending on number of children and any potential childcare costs. A household income of £100k might seem insanely high to many, but after tax to some will still only give them a comfortable life.

Well that rather depends. An income of £100 k with everything paid for and no debt, can provide most luxuries. Whereas, £100k and massive mortgage and outgoings wont. Which is why i never see the point in the threads asking how much makes someone wealthy, because it depends on many factors. You can have an income of millions and still exceed it with outgoings.

Yanbu. Daft question.

Exactly Winner I think luxury is pretty well established. I think the Harvester example is a very good one. When we were on a lower income, going out for a meal was something we couldn't really afford unless it was McDonald's. Maybe every once in a while we went to Turtle Bay, but I still wouldn't have considered that a luxury. Going to The Ivy would have felt more of a luxury. Maybe to some it would still feel like a "chain restaurant experience" albeit more upmarket.

@sweetkitty

For me comfortable is, if the washing machine broke tomorrow morning I could go straight to Curry’s (or whatever) and buy a new one or if the DC needed a new jacket I could just go buy one right now. Maybe it’s relevant to my childhood.

Yeah I'd agree with this.

Comfortable is also being able to buy something that is better quality and will last, rather than having to get the cheapest, worst quality option.

It's being able to check your bank account without feeling anxious.

So I don't think you need to earn loads and loads to be comfortable - just a little more than would cover bills and essentials. Enough to have savings and the occasional treat.

What if you can afford the finer things but don't want them due to unnecessary waste of money, bad for the environment, supporting capitalism or consumer waste. Does that make you comfortable or rich?

@WallaceinAnderland
Isn't Elon Musk a bit like that? He's still incredibly rich of course!

@WallaceinAnderland

What if you can afford the finer things but don't want them due to unnecessary waste of money, bad for the environment, supporting capitalism or consumer waste. Does that make you comfortable or rich?

It makes you both, entirely possible.

To me comfortable would be having enough to cover your day to day costs and having some money left over for saving and treats. It's not anything in specific but is very specific to the individuals lifestyle, wants and needs.
I would say DH and I are comfortable, we don't need to worry about day to day living and can afford a day out/takeaway/meal or two over the month. We have savings for a rainy day and special occasions. If we want a holiday we save a little more and DH does overtime.
We comfortably have enough to ensure we aren't in poverty or living wage to wage.

A luxurious lifestyle would be having enough money to cover your day to day costs and then still having a significant proportion to save save, invest and spend on high value, finer things. If you can always afford the upgraded version that would be luxurious. To me this would be people with second homes, holiday homes, more cars than people able to drive them in the house, thousands of pounds worth of disposable cash each month.

@WallaceinAnderland

What if you can afford the finer things but don't want them due to unnecessary waste of money, bad for the environment, supporting capitalism or consumer waste. Does that make you comfortable or rich?

I would say that simply being able to afford them would be rich. Whether you buy them or not isn't the point. If you were comfortable or struggling you wouldn't entertain the notion that you could do it if you wanted.

@PixieAndProsecco

To me comfortable would be having enough to cover your day to day costs and having some money left over for saving and treats. It's not anything in specific but is very specific to the individuals lifestyle, wants and needs. I would say DH and I are comfortable, we don't need to worry about day to day living and can afford a day out/takeaway/meal or two over the month. We have savings for a rainy day and special occasions. If we want a holiday we save a little more and DH does overtime. We comfortably have enough to ensure we aren't in poverty or living wage to wage.

A luxurious lifestyle would be having enough money to cover your day to day costs and then still having a significant proportion to save save, invest and spend on high value, finer things. If you can always afford the upgraded version that would be luxurious. To me this would be people with second homes, holiday homes, more cars than people able to drive them in the house, thousands of pounds worth of disposable cash each month.

I'd also like to add that my comfortable is not income specific. If you live in an expensive area your take home may be much higher than some but your outgoings will also be higher and you may be in the same position as those who earn less but live elsewhere.

@LakeShoreD

Comfortable is often used as a discreet way of saying wealthy. If someone came out and said ‘we’re comfortable’ I’d be thinking that they’re absolutely loaded.

We are comfortable. We have a nice house and holidays, an OK car each and savings. We are definitely not wealthy!

I’m sure state of mind comes into play here too. A person who is absolutely happy with their relationship, work, family etc is far more likely to feel comfortable on a relatively modest budget than someone who is in a bad relationship and feeling unhappy.

As you get older ‘comfortable’ becomes more of a necessity in practical terms but is more likely to be achievable as children grow up and housing is paid for. A younger person would often prioritise having holidays or experiences above more comfortable housing or a newer car.

Agreed that comfortable is usually a euphemism for wealthy. I think it depends whether you apply the word to the individuals or their life.

“They’re comfortable” = they’re loaded

“They have a comfortable life” = they have a good standard of living.

I get what you mean OP.

I'm 'comfortable', in that day to day bills are covered and I'm not constantly looking after the last penny. However, if the washing machine breaks, or my dog gets ill or there is a sudden expense for my children, then I feel the pinch and have to give certain things up. So I'm definitely not wealthy and living a 'luxurious' life.

There is a marked difference.